Typewriting machine



E. L. HARMON TYPEWRITING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 22 1920 2Sheets-Sheet 1 May 27, 19% 1,495,301

E. L. HARMON TYPEWRITING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 22 1920 2Sheets-Sheet 2 EDWIN L. HARMON, OF GROTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CORONATYPEWRITER COM- PAN'Y, INC., OF GROTON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

Application filed December 22, 1920, Serial No. 432,490. Renewed October31, 1923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN L. HARMON, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Groton, in the county ofTompkins and State of New York, have invented certain new! and usefulImprovements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in typewriting machines and hasfor one of its objects to-provide simple and efiicient antifrictionsupporting means for the platen.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionof geardriven ball-spacing means.

A further object of the invention is to provide antifriction supportingmeans for the platen of a typewriter so constructed as to preventjamming or sticking of the carriage and also to prevent creeping of theroller bearings in the raceways.

Another object of the invention is to provide gearing for controllingthe travel of a ball-retainer or carrier which will not be damaged orderanged by movements of the platen carriage relatively to the carriagebed in directions other than longitudinally of bed during handling,transportation or operation of the machine.

The invention embodies other novel fea tures hereinafter described andset forth in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a platen supporting means embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line HII ofFig. 8;

Figs. 3 and 4 fragmentary perspective views of the racks mounted onv thecarriage and carriage bed, respectively;

Fig. 5 a detail sectional view taken on the line VV of Fig. 6;

Fig. 6 a detail sectional view taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 a perspective view of the traveling ball-spacer or retainer;

Fig. 8 a top plan view of the platensupporting means showing thecarriage near the limit of its travel in letter-feed direction, thecarriage being partly broken away and the platen entirely removed; and

Figs. 9 to 12 detail views showing the parts in various relativepositions.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, l5 designates a pair of framebars upon which the carriage bed or relatively stationary member 16 ofthe platen supporting means is rigidly held by four screws 17, or othersuitable fastening means. The bars 15 may be mounted to fold, ifdesired, to permit the platen and its supporting means to be moved to acompact position when the machine is not in use in the same manner' asin the Corona typewriter, or in any other desired! manner. The bed 16 ispreferably formed of sheet metal and provided with two integralupstanding raceway flanges 18 and 19 in each of which an outwardlyfacing raceway channel or groove 20 is formed by pressing the metal ofthe flanges inwardly.

The platen carriage or traveling member I of the antifrictionplaten-supporting means is also preferably formed of sheet metal. Thebase plate 21 of the carriage is provided with an integral dependingraceway flange 22 at its forward edge formed with an inwardly facingchannel or groove 23 cooperating with channel 20 in flange 19 on the bed16 to form a ball race. The plate 21 is formed at its rear edge with anintegral depending straight flange 24 which serves to stiflen the plateand also serves as a rigid stop or abutment for limiting the rearwardswinging movement of a hinged raceway flange 25. The flange 25 is formedof sheet metal and is divided midway its ends into two independentlymovable sections formed with channels 26 cooperating with channel 20 inflange 18 on the bed to form a ball race.

Each section of the hinged flange or rail- 25 is detachably held toplate 21 and has an interlocking rockin connection therewith adjacentthe rear edge of said plate. The flange 24 is provided with four slots27 which extend into the rear edge of plate 21. The plate 21 is formedwith depressions or sockets 29 extending across the slots 27 and eachsection of the divided flange 25 is provided with T-heads or lugs 30adjacent its ends adapted to engage in the depressions 29'with theshanks 31 of said lugs extending through the inner ends of slots 27.Lugs 30 are adapted to rock in the depressions 29 and slots 27 and formseparable pivotal connections between the sections of the dividedraceway flange and plate 21 which permit swinging of said sectionstoward and from flange 18 but prevent endwise movement of Elli) thesections relatively to the base plate 21 of the carriage.

Each section of the hinged raceway member 25 is normally resilientlyforced toward the bed flange 18 by a pair of fiat springs 82 held to theupper face of plate 21 by screws 33. Each spring 32 extends rearwardlyover one lug and then downwardly through the adjacent slot 27, the freelower ends of the springs pressing against the outer side of the twosections of the movable raceway flange.

The base plate 21 of the carriage is preferably provided with integralupwardly extending end plates or brackets 34 in which the shaft 35 ofthe platen 36 is journalled. The raceway members on the carriageembrace, or are located outside of, the raceway members on the carriagebed and a pair of.

antifriction balls 37 are located in each raceway.

The parts above described are of substantiall the same construction asthat shown in t e application of L. B. Bridges, Serial No. 411,813,allowed September 30, 1920 (renewal of application Serial No. 208,403,tiled December 22, 1917), the vertical portions at the upper edges offlanges 18 and 19 and the vertical portions at the lower ends of flanges22 and 25 being omitted in the present construction.

The four antifriction balls are loosely confined in eyes or holes 38formed in the side bars 39 of a sheet metal ball-retainer. The side bars39 are connected together by a transverse bridge-piece 40 preferablyformed integrally with the side bars. The bridge piece 40 extends overthe tops of the flanges 18 and 19 on the carriage bed and is normallyspaced from the under side of the base plate 21 of the carriage and theupper edges of flanges 18 and 19, as shownin Fig. 2. The bridge piece isbent downwardly in termediate its ends to provide a ilat horizontalportion 4C1, preferably located adjacent the inner side of flange 19 atthe forward edge of the carriage bed, as shown. Said fiat portion 11; isprovided with a relativelywide slot or elongated rectangular aperture412 and with a pair of integral ears or yohes 43 located at oppositeedges of the slot midway the ends of the slot. Said ears 48 are formedby slitting the portion 41 of the bridge piece at each side of the slotl2 and pressing upwardly the metal between said slits and the edges ofthe slot 412, as more clearly shown in Figs. 5, ti and 7. A pinion l/l,preferably formed of thin sheet metal, is mounted in the sltit 4-2 inthe bridge piece, the slot being materially wider than the the thicknessof the pinion. The pinion is held to the ball-retainer by a stationaryshaft or pin 4-5 which is driven through the ears l3, shaft extendingthrough a central circular aperture d6 in the pinion and ineaaoi havinga tight driving fit in the ears l3 so that the shaft will befrictionally held agairist rotation and also against endwise movement.The aperture 46 in the pinion is materially larger in diameter than theshaft 15 so that the pinion at is free to rotate about the shaft andalso to tilt and wabble on the shaft. The pinion 1 1 is provided withrelatively long teeth which mesh with'two superposed racks 1-7 portionsof the racks are adapted to flex or spring relatively to the carriageand bed and normallylie parallel with the bases 21 and 16 of thecarriage and bed, said offset resilient portions of the racks beingprovided with apertures 51 in which the teeth of pinion 1 lengage. Themetal between apertures 51 form the teeth of-the resilient racks and thelong pinion teeth normally extend entirely through the racks and projecta material distance beyond the opposite sides of the racks, as shown inFigs. 2, 5 and 6. This construction permits a material telescopingmovement of the racks and pinion relatively to eachother withoutde-meshing.

Tn the construction shown, the racks 4t? and 48 extend from pointsadjacent the left hand end of the carriage and bed to points slightlybeyond the longitudinal center of the carriage and bed, while the bridgepiece 10 upon which pinion at is mounted is located adjacent the lefthand end of the ballretainer, but it will be obvious that the bridgepiece and pinion may be located any point along the bars 39 and theraclrs correspondingly shifted on the carriage bed.

it will be observed that the distance between the balls 3? the retaineris one-half the length of the raceway members so the carriage may travelto either limit of its movement without either ball in the rear racewaycrossing the joint between the two sections of the divided racewaymember 25. The ball-retainer maintains all four balls 3"? in fixedrelation to each other at all times lltl o to ineasoi when employed inmachines such as the Corona typewriter in which the carriage and bed aremoved to abnormal positions to make the machine compact when not in use,shift in various directions relatively to the bed. The present inventionprovided means whereby such -movements of the carriage may take placeWithout injury to the ball controlling means and without deranging orbreaking the driving connection between the ball-retainer andits-propelling means.

In F ig, 2 the normal position of the parts in the specific embodimentof the invention illustrated in the drawings is shown, while in Figs. 9to 12 various other positions which may be assumed by the carriage areshown. In Fig. 9 the parts are shown in the positions assumed it adownward thrust is exerted on the carriage or parts thereon. It will beobserved that in this case the pinion 44 tilts sidewise and the racks4:7 and 48 flex thus avoiding injury to the parts. In Fig. 10 the rearedge of the carriage is pulled upwardly'to the limit of its movement,the long telescopic connection of the pinion with the racks preventingderangement of the'retainer driving means in this case. In Fig. 11 thecarriage is shown pulled directly forward, the pinion in this casetilting as shown but remaining in mesh with both racks without injuriousstrain on the racks, inion, or pinion shaft. in Fig. 12 the carriage andbed are showninverted. The parts assume this position if the machine isinverted or if the carriage and bed are folded over the keyboard as inthe Corona typewriter; The same relative movement of the parts alsotakes lace if the carriage is pulled upwardly. these instances thepinion will tilt to take care of the sidewise movement of the carriageand the long teeth on the pinion will prevent disengagement of thepinion from the racks.

What I claim is:

1. Antifriction supporting means for the platen of a writing machinecomprising a traveling platen-carryingmember and a rel ativelystationary support, apair of companion raceway members on theplaten-carrying member and support one of wh ch is yieldable laterallyrelatively to the other, a pair of racks on the support andplatencarrying member, a pinion meshin with both of said racks,a'ball-retainer, a all in the raceway formed by the raceway members, andmeans forming a wabbling bearing for the pinion on the retainer.

2. Antifriction supporting means 'for the platen of a writing machinecomprislng a traveling platen-carrying member and a relativelystationary support, a pair of companion raceway members on theplatencarrying member and support one of which is yieldable laterallyrelatively to the other,

n either of a pair of racks held to the platen-carrying member andsupport respectively and yieldable .relatively thereto, a pinion meshingwith both of said racks, a ball-retainer on which the pinion isrotatably mounted, and a ball in said retainer traveling in the racewayformed by the raceway members.

3. Antifriction supporting means for the platen of a writing machinecomprising a traveling platen-carrying member and a relativelystationary support, a pair of companion raceway members on theplatencarrying member and support one of which is yieldable laterallyrelatively to the other, a pair of racks held to the platen-carryingmember and support respectively and yieldable relatively thereto, a balltraveling in the raceway formed by the raceway members, a retainer forthe ball, a pinion mesh= ing with both racks, and means for supportingthe pinion on the retainer to rotate and wabble relatively to theretainer.

4:. Antifriction supporting means for the platen of a writing machinecomprising a traveling platen-carrying member and a relativelystationary support, a pair of companion raceway members on theplatencarrying member and support one of which is yieldable laterallyrelatively to the other, a pair of racks held to the platen-carryingmember and support respectively and yieldable relatively thereto, a balltraveling in the raceway formed by the raceway members, a retainer forthe ball, a pinion meshing with both racks, and means for supporting thepinion on the retainer to rotate and wabble relatively to the retainer,said pinion having relatively long teeth adapted to mesh with theyieldable racks in all posi tions of the racks and pinion.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen carriage, acarriage bed, a pair of raceway members on the carria e, a pair ofraceway members on the bed, ba ls in the raceways formed by saidmembers, a single retainer for the balls in both of the raceways, a pairof resilient sheet metal racks held to the carriage and bed respectivelyand each provided with a longitudinal series of apertures, a .pinionhaving relatively long teeth normally projecting entirely through theapertures in both racks, and means forming a rotatable and tiltingconnection between the pinion and retainer.

6. In a printing machine, a platen carriage, a carriage bed, a pair ofraceway members on the carriage,'a pair of raceway members on the bed,one of said members being yield'able relatively to its companion member,a plurality of balls in each of the raceways formed by said members, asingle retainer for all of said balls, a pair of racks held to thecarriage and bed respectively and each provided with a longitudinalseries of apertures, and a pinion rotatably and tiltahly mounted on theretainer and provided with teeth adapted to project entirely through theapertures in the racks.

7. A ball-retainer for roller-bearing supported platen carriagescomprising a pair of side bars each provided 'with apertures forreceiving the balls, a transverse connecting member extending betweenthe side bars, a pinion, and means for rotatahly and tilt ablysupporting the pinion on said transverse connecting member.

8. A ball-retainer for roller-bearing supported platen carriagescomprising a pair of side bars provided with ball-receiving apertures, atransverse member rigidly connecting the bars and provided with a slotand ears at opposite sides of said slot, a shaft extending across saidslot and frictionally held against endwise and rotary movement in saidears, and a pinion rotatable in the slot of materially less thicknessthan the Width of the slot and having a central aperture of materiallylarger diameter than the shaft through which the shaft extends.

In testimony whereof I hereunto attix my signature.

EDWIN 1L. HARMON.

